Appathurai: sugar-coating a bitter truth for Tbilisi

Georgia and Ukraine are not ready to join NATO yet though the organization will keep supporting the republics in every possible way. It was stated on April 1 by NATO Spokesman James Appathurai.

"It must be understood that NATO founding documents are unchanged, - Interfax is quoting Appathurai. - The Bucharest decision stipulating Georgia's and Ukraine's future membership remains valid. All allies agree that neither Georgia nor Ukraine have met the standards for NATO membership, and we will continue to help them make their necessary reforms".

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Appathurai also emphasized that Croatia's and Albania's accession into NATO is perfect evidence that any country may join the organization if desired. "That is why there must be no doubt that the alliance's commitments to enlargement will be maintained", - he summed up.

Appathurai's statement that NATO doors are always open is not at all accidental. Some member states are discussing the necessity to specify limits of the alliance's eventual expansion. "I don't see a global NATO", - RIA Novosti quoted Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. According to her wide cooperation with Russia is much more important to the alliance than expansion issues. "NATO wants Russia as a good partner", - Merkel underlined. - For 20 years, we've not been adversaries. The Cold War times are irrevocably over and now we are facing the same threats. We must solve a whole range of international security issues together".

It is known that Russia too is against NATO expansion. "If a country is dragged into NATO contrary to the will of its dominant majority this approach contradicts democratic norms, I think. - Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov says. - If a country outrages norms of international law disregarding the rights of minorities, non-use of force, it also means that NATO expansion is not based on democratic goodwill, it looks more like another geopolitical project". It is clear Lavrov was referring to Ukraine and Georgia. According to the polls over half of independent Ukraine's population doesn't want their country as a NATO member. Besides Tbilisi's aggression in August doesn't do any good to Saakashvili either.

Probably the USA would not have agreed to "reset" their relations with Russia and would have continued pushing ex Soviet republics into NATO.

But life has its own rules: Washington needs friendship with Moscow now. Strategic stability, joint elaboration of a new document on strategic offensive arms (SOA), a possibility to have a "corridor" to Afghanistan, assistance in Iran nuclear problem solution - all this makes the dialogue of the USA and NATO with Russia sound milder.